Alex realized he was same-sex attracted when he was 18. Since early childhood, Alex had felt attracted to men, but didn’t understand what that meant until high school when he attempted to cover his attractions up by being more “macho.” Alex briefly served as a proselytizing missionary for the LDS Church, until his anxiety and depression became too much and he decided he needed to take an alternate route when it came to missionary service. After returning from his first mission, Alex served as a church history missionary and had the opportunity to sing with the Elijah Missionary Choir, which was not only an edifying experience for Alex, but which also helped him to better understand himself and his attractions. This experience also allowed Alex to see the multiplicity of paths that all lead back to Heavenly Father. Though Alex now cautiously self-identifies as gay, he is active in his ward, supports the church’s stance on homosexuality, and strongly believes that he will one day marry a woman, although he’s not sure it will be in this life. One thing Alex is sure about is that he wants to always live worthy of his eternal family, regardless of when he will receive that blessing. He also shares his sincere hope that one day we will live in a world where the bonds between men will be strengthened in healthy ways–where all men, regardless of how “masculine” they might appear or to whom they might be attracted, can be welcome to feel closer to one another as friends and as brothers.

(The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but are reflective of some aspects of what it means to be LGBT/SSA and Mormon.)